Frozen-in some way! by Bob Ryan

The Holidays seem to make time get “frozen”….most of our daily concerns, worries, etc seem to be frozen as we indulge in the joy of family, friends and fun over the Holidays….but all good things do come to an end…so here we go taking a look forward and backward…

…the joy experienced by many of the Blues fans in attending the Blues-Blackhawks old-timers game was evident from the plethora of posts, comments and articles about the game..the thoughts of those local stars is frozen in our mind…we remember them as they were in ’66, or ’76, or ’86 or ’96 or even 06

….then 2 days later without the ice being really frozen…the Blues beat the Blackhawks in front of a huge crowd enjoying the “event”..it really was a special weekend of hockey for Blues fans and the Lou

….there are some moments from recent StL sports that I WOULD like frozen….Seeing Ken Hitchcock wearing his hat….Matt Holliday standing alone in LF as the only player on the field as the Lou fans recognize his contribution to the Cards for a decade…the TD reception by Isaac Bruce that won the only StL Super Bowl…the loud chants of “Lets GO Blues” that echoed all around Busch III… David Freese flinging his helmet between his legs as he’s ready to cross the plate after his historic Series HR..WHAT MOMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE FROZEN…..please respond on the Prepcasts site just below the article

…one of my favorite Bowls this year was the Orange Bowl…. Michigan hasn’t won back-back bowls since the Lloyd Carr days 1999-2000….the total points expected by the gamblers kept dropping as the game approached because they expected a defensive battle…but they missed it….Florida State opened up that huge lead and still led 27-15 early in the 4th… Wolverines score the next 2 td’s to take a 30-27 with only 1:57…a long KO return give the Seminoles a short field and they throw a 12 yd TD pass take a 33-30 lead…a successful PAT takes a FG out of the game…but the PAT is blocked & returned for 2 points to make it 33-32…Michigan’s last throw was intercepted…the Wolverines hopes of moving up the polls are now frozen

….reading the feature Cardinal article earlier this week on Matt Adams….and between the lines….it probably means that the lighter Matt Adams won’t be frozen @ 1B in the Lou for the whole year but will be moving on….you don’t need to lose weight to sit on the bench

…I was “lucky” enough to attend the Blues-Predators game where the Blues didn’t show up and fell 4-0….I think that was about as many Blues checks as there were in the old-timers game…their skates seem to be frozen to the ice on that night…the Blues looked very “soft”to me which doesn’t bode well for the playoffs where the contact & intensity escalate

….Gary Kubiak has resigned for health reasons due to the stress, extreme time, and little “free time”—his life was frozen constantly by the job….it’s a meat-grinder….Kubiak has spent his entire life immersed in the NFL as player, coach, head coach…he was a good..to very good coach…depending on your view….we wish the 55 year old the best…I’m surprised that there aren’t more coaches afflicted in the same way. Now he’ll actually have a life that isn’t frozen by football.

….not frozen with their accomplishment of making the World Series…Cleveland lands slugger Edwin Encarncion as a free agent….Encarncion rejected a 4 year $80mil offer from Toronto in November and it seemed to scare off other teams…Cleveland realizes that their time is “now”..they have starting pitchers– Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazer all under control through 2019 and relief specialists Cody Allen & Andrew Miller through 2018…couple that with a lineup that features vets Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana—budding stars in Tyler Naquin & Jose Ramirez….well…it’s time to go “all in”..btw Cleveland signed him for 3 years/$60mil + attendance bonuses and a team option of $20 mil for the 4th year with a $5mil buyout…keep in mind this is a guy who’s hit over 190 Home Runs in the last 5 years!

….superstitions seem to be frozen in our minds….so the Blues new “outdoor classic” jerseys are the reason WHY the Blues won that game and now a 2nd game….come on…what are YOUR superstitions?

….let’s think out of the box and not be frozen by “what’s always been done….if Chicago is petitioning for a bowl….why can’t StL….use Busch III….the Arch Bowl…I mean what difference does another bowl make…41..42…50….make ours the winners of two earlier bowls

….Drew Brees passed for over 5000 yards for the 5th time in his career this year…it may not seem too special but it’s only been done 4 other times ..TOTAL…by any other NFL QBs.. nevertheless, the New Orleans record remains frozen at 7-9 for 3rd straight year

….Brandon Phillips likes being frozen @ Cincy…he’s turned down the possibility of being traded again this year….I guess it’s good to be a star on a very poor team than an average guy on a good team?

….being futuristic for a sec….sports isn’t frozen in its presentations….the Olympics demonstrated the relevance of twitter & social media in a powerful manner….look for the MLB to utilize more social media in their presentations this year

…of course the Rose Bowl was very, very entertaining and memories will be frozen in our mind for a long time…Penn State & USC marched up and down the field much of the day…the Nittany Lions seemed to have a comfortable 49-35 lead in 4th quarter but the Trojans behind cool handed Frosh QB Sam Darnold throwing darts in the final minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat…the winning FG …as the game clock ran out…made it a 52-49 USC win

….some character flaws seem to be frozen in a person….NYJ Sheldon Richardson’s fight in week 3 with Darrelle Revis never really “healed”…it seems that Richardson always just “finds” difficulties no matter where he’s located..he seems like a likely R _ _ _ player

…frozen in our mind by all the “news” on the SEC from Mizzou, SEC network and local newspapers is the strength of the SEC…in the 16-17 bowls…to this point….ACC is 8-3 in bowls and 3-1 vs the SEC & Big 10…Big 12 is 4-2 in the bowl action…at .500 is the SEC 6-6 and Pac 12 @ 3-3….personally…Bama is the best of the league…and probably the nation…but the rest seem to be comparable to some of the other top leagues

…so why does Nick Saban remove Lane Kiffin as off coordinator just prior to the NCS Championship game? Reading between the frozen lines…Saban was all over Kiffin repeatedly throughout the season…How many points does he expect them to score?… Some thought that Bama underperformed in the game vs Washington and….maybe Kiffin’s mind wasn’t all there (getting ready for Florida Atlantic job… Maybe…or maybe Saban was still smarting from some of the unflattering remarks Kiffin made in an SI article recently…who knows? Maybe Saban is just “trial running” his possible successor, Steve Sarkisian. This is a strange move…..perfect record or not.

….Does this seem wrong to you…like your judgment has been frozen?….Jeff Fisher has won ONE more game in his career than Bill Parcells? Somehow I don’t think of those two in the same class as a coach. Right now…Andy Reid is tied with Parcells but should pass Fish soon

….you won’t be frozen to this blog any longer….it’s over…..have a good week!